I read this the other day: “Welcome to Parenthood, where everyone is always right. Except you.”

I get a kick out of that statement, because it can often ring true! There is SO much information (and misinformation) floating around these days, that it can be hard to read between the lines, and weed through the multitude of advice that well-meaning parents share with us.

Something I often caution parents against is assuming something will work for them, just because it did for someone else’s family. Every child is different and every situation and family dynamic is different. What worked for your parents, or your friend at work, or someone at playgroup…might not work for you.

However – the “Mom knows best” idea can be misleading as well. If we were meant to go with our gut feeling all the time, or against the advice of medical professionals and the like, then there would be no purpose for people to go to the Doctor (or for that Doctor’s 10+ years of training), or for society making advancements in general.

People who specialize in a certain area, are a great resource in ADDITION to your “gut” feelings and advice from other well-meaning parents. There is no blanket right answer but there ARE people who base their suggestions on experience, proven research, and success in resolving an issue you might be having.

So yes, it can seem as though everyone is an expert when that’s not necessarily the case and at the same time, not every actual expert has the right solution for YOU.

Therefore, I suggest ALL parents and families make decisions based on their own personal parenting styles, some advice from other parents in similar situations, the facts, AND advice and recommendations from people who really are trained to advise on that very topic.

My advice: make educated choices with BOTH your head and your heart, and you can’t go wrong!

Live Well